• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • College Financial Aid
    • Financial Aid for College
    • Student Financial Aid Eligibility
    • Student Financial Aid
      • Student Loans for College
      • College Financial Aid 101
      • Need Based Student Loans
      • Financial Aid Forms (FAFSA & College Board’s Profile)
      • Military Student Financial Aid
        • College Benefits for Active Duty Military
        • National Guard Education Benefits
        • College Aid for Military Reservists
        • College Aid for Military Veterans
        • Military Dependent Financial Aid
    • Financial Aid Programs
    • Paying for College
  • Scholarships 101
    • College Scholarships (Overview)
    • College Scholarship Applications
    • College Scholarship Essay Writing Tips
    • Unusual Scholarships
    • Unclaimed Scholarships
    • Free College Scholarship Searches
  • Find a Scholarship
    • Latest Scholarship Postings
    • Student Scholarships by College Major
    • Scholarships for Hobbies and Interests
    • Sports Scholarships
    • Community Service Scholarships
    • Association Sponsored Scholarships
  • Find a Student Loan
    • Private Student Loans
      • Sallie Mae Student Loans
      • PNC Student Loans
      • Charter One Student Loan
      • Wells Fargo College Loan Programs
      • Texas Dow Employees Credit Union Loans
      • SunTrust Education Loans
    • How Do Student Loans Work?
    • Types of Private Student Loans
    • Student Loans to Cover Living Expenses
    • Private Student Loan Interest Rates
    • Graduate Student Loans from Private Lenders
  • Saving for College
  • Site Map

Financial Aid Finder

Your Guide to Maximizing your College Financial Aid

Financial Aid Finder HomePage
You are here: Home / FAFSA / 8 Trends in Financial Aid

8 Trends in Financial Aid

January 25, 2012 By mara

US News & World Report ran an interesting article with eight financial aid trends for American colleges. The bad news is that college will cost more next year than ever before. But there is some good news, too. Here’s what US News had to say (and what I think about it).

1. It will be easier to apply for financial aid. I talked about the changes to the standard application for financial aid a few weeks ago. In short, the FAFSA has gotten shorter. The biggest recent changes? Eliminating redundant questions and spitting out an instant Estimated Family Contribution.

2. It will be easier to figure out just how much college will cost. A relatively new law means that colleges had to install web-based calculators on their websites that calculate true costs of attendance. Look for these tools on your school’s website.

8 Money Saving Trends in Financial Aid
8 Money Saving Trends in Financial Aid

3. It will get easier to receive tax breaks for education. I’ve told you before about ways to save money on college through education tax credits and deductions. The new American Opportunity Tax Credit can be applied to tuition paid, with refunds up to $1K.

4. It will be easier — and more lucrative — to get Federal grants. Remember all those posts this summer about the student loan and Pell grant reform? Well, the Pell Grant increased $200 (to $5,500) and the income cutoff is expected to go up as well.

5. It will get cheaper to attend college out of state. I’m including this, since it is on the US News‘ list, but frankly, I don’t see it as such a bonus. Basically colleges with relatively low rankings are going to be offering scholarships to attract out-of-state students. But I say: Why not focus your college search on better ranked, in-state colleges, where lower tuition means you may not even need scholarships?

6. It will be easier to get work-study jobs. Even if you don’t need a full-time job while in school, part-time gigs are great for paying things like those pesky bills for books and living expenses. The federal government is hip to this need, which is why they are increasing funding to allow for 200,000 more work-study jobs.

7. It will be easier and cheaper to take out student loans. As I’ve reported, changes to Stafford loans have seen interest rates drop (from 5.6 percent to 4.5 percent); the easing of credit markets means that there will be more options for private student loans than there were last year. My two cents on that: Be sure you investigate the terms of any loan closely, and especially a private one.

8. It will be more affordable to repay your student loans. Remember that Income Based Repayment Plan I was telling you about last spring? Well, if you are facing limited income and seemingly limitless loan payments, you might qualify for some loan modification.

Those are the trends as US News & World Report sees it (and as I see fit to comment on them!) But I want to know what you seeing out there on the ground? Are financial aid offices coming up with solutions for the growing needs of next year’s freshmen class? Are they working hard to keep hard working students in school, despite financial difficulties? Tell what you know!

Sallie Mae Student Loans Ad

Filed Under: FAFSA, Federal Aid, Financial Aid News, Student Loans Info Tagged With: FAFSA changes, financial aid 2010, financial aid trends, Pell Grant increase, student loan changes, work study jobs

Primary Sidebar

FinancialAidFinder Logo
Sallie Mae Student Loans Ad

Latest Scholarship Postings

2025 Craig Huffman Memorial Scholarship (Deadline: October 16, 2025)

May 19, 2025 By The FinancialAidFinder Scholarship Team

Powering Up.org: Empowering Pathways Into Energy Scholarship 2025 (Deadline: August 21, 2025)

May 19, 2025 By The FinancialAidFinder Scholarship Team

2026 Diane Amendt Memorial Scholarship for the Arts (Deadline: January 7, 2026)

May 18, 2025 By The FinancialAidFinder Scholarship Team

Solomon Vann Memorial Scholarship 2026 (Deadline: October 19, 2026)

May 18, 2025 By The FinancialAidFinder Scholarship Team

More Scholarship Listings

Sallie Mae Student Loans Ad

Explore Financial Aid Finder

  • College Financial Aid
  • Saving for College
  • Military Financial Aid
  • Grants for College
  • Student Scholarships
  • Student Scholarship Search
  • Find Student Loans
  • Financial Aid Info
  • Register to Receive College Financial Aid Updates
  • About FinancialAidFinder
  • Contact Us

Tags

529 plans applying for scholarships college college financial aid college savings plan college savings plans college scholarship college scholarships college student loans college tuition community college debt distance learning education engineering scholarship essay scholarships expected family contribution FAFSA federal student loans financial aid financial aid application financial aid eligibility free money for college GI Bill grant Grants hispanic scholarships minority scholarships Pell Grant Pell Grants private student loans reduce cost of college saving for college scholarship scholarship applications scholarship essays Scholarships scholarships for college student financial aid student loan student loan consolidation student loan debt Student Loans Info tuition work study

Footer

About FinancialAidFinder
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy

Scholarship Submissions

If you offer a college scholarship, you can submit it to us through this form:

Scholarship Submission Form

Copyright © 2025 · FinancialAidFinder - All rights reserved.